recipes for the joy of life

8/3/2019 Recipes for the Joy of Life

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Recipes For Joy In Life

Robert S. Swiatek

formerly The Joy Of Life Cookbook

formerly The Read My Lips Cookbook


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Copyright October 2011, Robert S. Swiatek.

All Rights Reserved.

First Edition

If you use material found in this book without permissionfrom the author or publisher, we will put you in a pizza ovenand cook you. We wont burn down your village, but we will

shut down your food supply. Information of a general naturerequires no action. When in doubt, contact the author.Mentioning him and the book is greatly appreciated.

ISBN: 0-9817843-8-0

available only as an ebookSOME RIGHTS RESERVED


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to James, Julia, my mom, and all

the others who inspired my cooking


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also by Robert S. Swiatek

The Read My Lips Cookbook:A Culinary Journey Of Memorable Meals

out-of-print

Dont Bet On It a novel

Tick Tock, Dont Stop:

A Manual For Workaholics

for seeing eye dogs only

This Page Intentionally Left Blank Just Like The Paychecks Of The Workers

I Dont Want To Be A Pirate Writer, maybe

wake up its time for your sleeping pill

Take Back The Earth The Dumb,Greedy Incompetents Have Trashed It

Press 1 For Pig Latin

This War Wont Cost Much

Im Already Against The Next One

here's your free gift send $10 for shipping

Mirror, Mirror, On My Car

The Joy Of Life Cookbookunpublished in September 2011

Save The Animals And Children


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Table of contents

Preface to the new edition i

Introduction v

1. Leaving home: beginning to cook 1

2. The Triple Cities: a souper time 21

3. Westchester: where the bread is 47

4. New England: parties and dinner parties 75

5. Upstate New York: grow it and keep it 97

6. The Gulf Coast: brunch time 119

7. Back to Westchester: camping andtailgating

143

8. Home again: just desserts 163

9. Any leftovers? 183

recipe index 225


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Preface to the new edition

The Read My Lips Cookbook was the firstbook I had published, but not the first one I wrote.That book has yet to be published maybe, nextyear. The second one didnt come into print either,although you can find bits and pieces of it in for seeing eye dogs only and wake up its time for

your sleeping pill. Theres a good chance that mysecond manuscript will never be published.Amazingly, my cookbook received lavish

praise, including three (out of three) five starreviews from the critics. Others raved about it aswell. These fine critics were family, friends and people I have yet to meet, and some whom I met

only once. These fine reviews can be found atAmazon.com for The Read My Lips Cookbook,even though its out-of-print.

Going back to my earlier years, I recallparts of meals that others fed me. Each Sunday, ourfamily went to the house of Grandma Stella andGrandpa Thomas Choinski my moms parents and I only recall my Grandmas chicken soup. Iloved it because she made it with bay leaves, whichmy mom wasnt fond of. I recently purchased fourounces of the wonderful spice. That should satisfythe needs of about ten families for twenty years its an awful lot of bay leaves. Of course, Icherished my moms cooking, since she inspired somany of the recipes in this book.

Our family traveled to the homes of her foursiblings, which included three sisters, my threeaunts Adele, Esther and Florence. My Aunt Esther


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also doubled as my Godmother and I fondly recall

numerous visits to her and my uncle Rays housefor dinner. Just walking into their abodeoverwhelmed me with the aroma of pork chops,mashed potatoes and sweet cabbage on so manyoccasions. This was food at its best.

During the major holidays of Christmas andEaster, our family might go to these samegrandparents home or to that of my uncles andaunts for a fine meal. Sometime in late afternoon,my mom or dad would round us up they didntuse a lariat and say that we had another stop tomake at the family of my fathers relatives. I wasdisappointed, but got over that rather quickly whenwe stopped in to my cousin Dorothy and herhusband Rays home for more food. Theres no

reason why you cant have two dinners in one day.On those occasions, I recall the delicious potatosalad as well as the smoked Polish sausage, not tomention the scrumptious desserts. I should mentionthat Dorothy shes not from Kansas is the butterlamb lady in Buffalo. She and her family are themain reason why Western New York has butter in

the shape of the Easter lamb each spring.Another dinner that my uncle Matthew and

aunt Dorothy (a different one) hosted maybe wewere only cousins featured city chicken and avegetable Jell-O mold. I liked the food so much thatyou can find both items in this book.

I was a boy scout for a few years and

thought about one merit badge, which I neverearned: cooking. You might say that this culinarything hit me when I was very young. The only food


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I recall cooking then was a baked potato on a fire

outdoors. We just threw the potatoes into flamesand after a half hour or so, we had blackenedpotatoes but they were good. Blackened groupercame much later. I recall one camping trip in thelate winter or early spring when our scout troop didthe cabin thing and fortunately none of us caughtthe fever. We probably only stayed for one night,but I vividly recall one meal of Campbells chickennoodle soup and smoked Polish sausage yummy.

I also recall summer picnics at CrystalBeach now only a fond memory and recall theboiled hot dogs, which we couldnt get enough of.Today, I have one or two grilled each year, but backthen, I used my parents gas stove to create hot dogsdone the same way, right on the burner flames. I

never burned the house down and they nevercomplained. Cooking adventures of mine arefeatured in each of the nine chapters here, so youllhave to go to those pages.

Thomas Fortenberry is one of the criticswho loved my cookbook. I hope to meet him in thenear future. He has also reviewed a few other books

of mine and truly enjoys all of them so far.However, he had two criticisms about The Read My Lips Cookbook. He thought it should have beenlonger translation: he didnt want it to end sincehe couldnt get enough of the anecdotes. He alsofelt that the title didnt quite fit the character of thebook. In fact, he thought that the subtitle was more

appropriate.Its been on my mind to republish the

cookbook. I had an idea for the cover, which a few


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collaborators helped out with, but for some time I

couldnt come up with a new title. One Sundaymorning in the summer of 2009, while inHammondsport for the Arts and Crafts Festival, Iwas inspired. It happened at Mass that day. Ipondered what the book is really all about. Sure, itsa cookbook, but its about the love and our fondnessfor cooking and enjoying the fruits of our labors pun intended. Its about getting together and sharinga meal and all the happiness and pleasure to befound in that experience. A very unique part of this book is the laughter and joy invoked by way ofwhats between the recipes, something that cant befound in many cookbooks.

The title that would almost be perfect toreflect those feelings was The Joy of Cooking.

However, I thought an even better and appropriatetitle would be The Joy Of Life Cookbook, whichwas published in May 2010. Unfortunately, The JoyOf Life Cookbook was unpublished in September2011. Its a long story. I like the new title just aswell, which is still in keeping with the thrust of my book. If you have a copy ofThe Joy Of Life

Cookbook, just cross on the title on the front coverand replace it withRecipes For Joy In Life. If not,the may come after you.

May all your meals be memorable!


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Introduction

When children leave their parental home togo out into the world, they are faced with quite afew decisions regarding their new life. A choicethey dont have is about eating. Just like you and

me, they must eat to live! There are quite a fewpeople who live to eat, but that will not concern ushere. In feeding oneself, you have one of threechoices:

1. You can go to restaurants (anything fromfast food to fine dining.)

2. You can have someone cook a meal for

you (a relative or friend.)3. You can cook something for yourself.Restaurants are a great pleasure, but only if

the food is good. Eating fast food on occasion isfine; I have done it more than once in the past. Finerestaurants still dont guarantee healthy dining allthe time. Also, if you eat out a lot, you will

eventually get tired of it. Unless you live in a largecity like Chicago, New York or Los Angeles, thevariety of eating establishments will be limited. Youwill quickly find that your bankroll is limited aswell. This is even more so when times are tough,such as the recessions that we experience from timeto time.

Another consideration about restaurants isthat the food is not always as good as we expected.Oh, the food may have been good, but we may havehoped it would be better, considering the money we


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spent. Think of all the occasions when you were

slightly disappointed with your meal. I wont evenmention those times when the service was lousy.If we let someone else do the cooking all the

time, its a good way to lose friends. It may be afine approach to eliminate some unwanted familymembers, but not recommended. By the way, aspouse falls within the category of friends andrelatives. If your spouse is not that good a cook, itseven more imperative for you to be one. If thatperson lacks culinary skills, it would behoove youto do some cooking and be good at it. It will onlystrengthen the relationship. Your mate may then bereluctant to say goodbye to you and your goodcooking! There must be some truth to the statement,the way to a persons heart is through the

stomach.It looks as though the third choice is

inevitable. You wont stop going out to restaurantsif you can afford it. Besides, its good to get out ofthe house. In addition, you can go over to havesome of moms cooking every so often and youshouldnt pass up an opportunity to share a meal at

the home of a friend or relative. Its just thatlearning to cook is a requisite.

If cooking seems like such drudgery, howcan we make it more palatable? That pun wasintended. Four things will do that, namely the foodshould taste very good, the cost should be small, thefood should be good for you and the preparation

should be minimal. I dont think anyone willdisagree on these points. Two other minor pointsare to be made. First, you are not embarking on a


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diet. Second, food that is good for you doesnt

necessarily imply so called health foods.Regarding this last statement, someone wrote aletter a while ago to a food magazine asking forcookie recipes that were made without egg yolks,sugar, salt, butter and margarine. Didnt she wantflour omitted too? Anyway, she can eat thosecookies; I certainly wont.

What will it take to be a good cook? First ofall, you have to accept the fact that you will notbecome one overnight. It will take time to developthose skills. So start small and work at it. There will be failures, so you have to be willing to adapt. Ifsomething doesnt work out to your satisfaction,there are two things you can do about it; you canfigure out what went wrong and make appropriate

changes so that the next time the result will be amasterpiece. The other option is not to try the recipeagain. Who needs the aggravation?

Another quality necessary is being able tofollow directions. A recipe will tell you to do thingsin a certain way. There is a reason for it. Somedayyou will find that there is a better way and that is

fine. Adaptability and good judgment are necessarybut they will come with time. When you first startout you will follow instructions to the letter. Withexperience, you will be able to add certain spicesand ingredients to make the dish better. You willalso be able to leave out and substitute onecomponent of a recipe for another. But it will take

time and experience.You had better acquire a good sense of

humor if you dont already have one. People will


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make comments about your food that you may not

appreciate at times. Just laugh it off and rememberthat taste is subjective. Over the years, you will findthat you will be getting more praises than insults.Remember that youre only human. How does thatsaying go? It is better to have cooked and lost thannever to have cooked at all.

You will need organizational skills too. Thissimply means good planning. If you are having adinner party with two dishes that each require acrock pot, you better either have two crock pots or be able to get a second one on short notice. Littledetails are more important than you think. If you arecooking a roast of pork in the oven and need theoven for baking chicken wings, you will have toresolve the conflict. The solution may be as simple

as using the same oven temperature for both withthe roast going on the bottom rack and the wings onthe top rack. It may not be that simple, though.

I have been cooking for well over fortyyears. Some of the highs and lows are chronicled inthis book. I have also taught high school math foreight years. This certainly doesnt give me the right

to be a cooking teacher, but I do feel very stronglyabout writing a book on cooking. I have never takena cooking course but I dont really think itsnecessary. I know plenty of people who areexcellent cooks and have taken no culinary courseswhatsoever.

In a sense, my cooking course took place

over the last forty years or so. It was truly a fieldexperience. I myself have been my strongest critic,but there have been others too. I have had the best


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teachers as well, from my mom and grandmother to

many friends in different areas of the country. Ihave to give credit to Gourmet magazine, whosemany recipes I have tried and enjoyed, as well as tothe late James Beard. I still have his basiccookbook, the first one I ever bought. It is showingits wear but I cannot recommend it highly enoughfor the novice as well as the experienced cook.There are many more teachers too numerous tomention.

What makes this cookbook different from allthe rest? Certainly you can find books thatemphasize the four aforementioned requirements:easy to fix, good, economical and great taste (lessfilling is not required.) You can also find manycookbooks with plenty of good hints for success in

the kitchen. Didnt someone on The Mary MooreShow mention that a good performance in thekitchen would result in being rewarded in the . . .never mind.

This book has all that. It also has humorousanecdotes that should make you smile. It is based onmy trips away from my place of birth. It features

suggestions for meals as well as parties. It has myexperience in it. It starts out slowly but proceeds toachieve the ultimate growth possible. It is not theultimate cookbook, but one that you will enjoy as part of your collection. Most important, it will beuseful and it will be a good teaching tool. Whocould ask for anything more?Bon apptit!


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~~~ Utensils and Tools ~~~

If you are going to do any serious cooking,you will need tools. Here are some of the things thatI use as well as others that I dont.

large iron skillet one of the best ways to satisfyyour daily requirement of iron is to cook inan iron skillet

small saucepan used to cook vegetables andgravies

medium saucepan used to warm up leftovers andalso for vegetables

Dutchoven for the main coursesmall skillet great for a sauting and can be used

for re-heating

covers you may have a cover for every pot and pan but one cover may be used for morethan one pan

blender I cant see a kitchen without one; you cangrind coffee beans, make milkshakes,crush ice cubes, and so on

spatula one of the greatest kitchen inventions

everwooden spoons great for stirring; the old ones

hold up the best, while the newer ones seemto be of softer wood

electricmixer for whipping creams, egg whites,and other uses

mortarandpestle the only way to grind spices

handgrater good for grating ginger, carrots, andpotatoes


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corkscrew not really necessary if you buy wine

drunk out of a bagtoasteroven throw away your toaster as this ovencan take its place and do a lot more

tablewareandcutlerysettingforeight you willneed it for those dinner parties; use paperand plastic for larger parties

potato masher I mash potatoes and rutabagaswith it, while some prefer to use an electricmixer.

oventhermometer many ovens are inaccurate; itgives you a better idea of the realtemperature

meatthermometer helps for roasts of pork, beef,or lamb

ovenproofcasserole for dishes that you cook in

the ovenbread pans if you plan to bake bread, you will

need two; you can use a cookie sheet tomake round loaves

cookiesheets for oven baking and roastingmetalrack needed for roasts and to cook chicken

wings in the oven

breadbowl if you are serious about bread baking,this is a must; I received mine as a gift; it isan eight-quart earthenware dough bowl foroven and microwave and I have used it as apunch bowl and for pasta

other implements steak knives, rolling pin,paring knife, bread knife, carving knife,

knife for chopping and mincing, soup ladle,serving spoons and forks, gravy bowl,serving bowl, basting brush, measuring cup


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and spoons, can opener, plastic containers

for storing leftovers, pot holders, dishtowels, vegetable steamer, wine glasses,beer mugs, peppermill, wok, metalskewers, charcoal grill, pancake flipper,coffeepot, colander, chopping block,strainer, ice bucket, waffle iron, ice creammaker

You will not need all these tools at once.Buy them as you need them, or ask for them asgifts. The following are some kitchen products thatI dont own and probably wont ever buy.

flour sifter at one time I had one but you reallydont have to sift flour

electric flour sifter people actually buy thesethings

microwave oven a vastly overrated kitchen tool;you can warm a leftover item in a small poton the stove, even if it is frozen solid

food processor no one actually uses these as theytake so much effort to clean and really arent

that good; anyone who has one has it packedaway in its original box

dough hook I am content to make bread with myown hands

ice crusher you can use your blender to crush icecapaccino machine I dont own anything I cant

spell

deep fryer if I want deep fried foods I go to agreasy spoon


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meat slicer I thought about buying one many

years ago, but a good carving knife will dojust finefondue set the cheese industry would go out of

business if they depended on meegg poachers anyone who steals eggs should get

high cholesterolbattery powered butter warmer I use solar

power for warming my butter

Common abbreviations will be usedthroughout this book. Teaspoon will be abbreviatedby tsp, tablespoon by tbsp and pound by lb. Thenumber of people that a recipe will serve will be anapproximation since some people eat like birds andothers like vultures. You will note that the recipes

are indexed alphabetically as well as by the type ofdish, such as pork dishes, appetizers, desserts and soon. Good luck!

~~~~~~~~~~


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1. Leaving home: beginning to cook

In the summer of 1968, I left home toventure into the world. My destination was the stateof New Jersey. I had found a job, teaching math atMahwah Jr-Sr High School. Being a teacher meanta minimal salary and very few meals at restaurants.

I knew I would have to do most of my own cooking,or else mooch meals from fellow teachers notexactly my style.

When I think back to those days, I recall thatI had a few set meals to get me through. I couldcook steak for the first day and a friends motherhad given me her recipe for spaghetti sauce, so thatwould take care of the second day. The family nameof Giordano meant a guaranteed recipe of successfor a true Italian effort, even if I was Polish. For thethird day, I could cook a chicken or turkey potpie orTV dinner as the center of the meal and my ownchili recipe would suffice for the next day. On thefifth day, I could try chicken, probably with the helpof Shake and Bake and for the sixth day would

have beef stew from a can over egg noodles. Dayseven might be something as simple as hot dogs andthe leftovers would carry me over for three moredays, at least. You will note that my selections didnot include that very familiar dinner of macaroniand cheese.

The first cookbook that I ever owned was

the June 1968 printing of The James BeardCookbook in paperback, a book that Icannotrecommend highly enough for any serious


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cook. It is probably the cookbook in my collection

that is most worn out and certainly the most used ofthe lot. Getting back to those early days of cookingfor me, this is the way my meals occurred. Therecipes that follow are the way I would cook themaround the time The Read My Lips Cookbookwas

published.


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~~~ day one ~~~

The best way to cook steak is outside on agrill. The wintertime may put a damper on this idea but there is an alternative: pan-frying. This meanscooking the meat on a hot skillet without the use ofbutter, oil or fat. No matter how you cook the steak,try to minimize the use of salt. The meat has so

much flavor by itself that its not necessary. As forthe type of meat, sirloin and London broil are fine. Ifind that chuck steak, although it costs less, has toomuch fat and gristle. Another key point is to keepthe flavor in by searing the meat. Charcoal briquettes are fine for cooking or even plaincharcoal, if you can find it. Just make sure that thefire is hot so that the flavor is locked inside.

grilled steak serves 6

2 lbs sirloin steak fresh ground pepperRub each side of the steak with ground pepper andplace on the grill. Cook for 5 minutes and then turn

over. Allow 5 minutes for the second side also, butyou can check for doneness by slicing into thesteak. How long you let the steak cook depends onhow you like your meat: rare, medium, or welldone.


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pan-fried steak serves 6

2 lbs sirloin steak non-stick cooking sprayfresh ground pepperHeat an iron skillet over high heat until it is almostsmoking. Trim all the fat from the steak. Sprinkleeach side with pepper. Spray some non-stickcooking spray on the pan. Place the steak in the panand let it sear for 1 minute. Turn the steak over andrepeat for 1 minute. Lower the heat to medium andcook for 5 minutes and then turn the meat over andcook the other side for 5 minutes. Check fordoneness with a knife and serve.

The note about removing the fat before pan-

frying reminds me of the time I came home and onopening the door thought the place was on fire. Iwas overwhelmed by smoke. As it turned out, myfriend Spike was pan-frying a steak and he had leftsome fat on the meat. Thats what will happen ifyou dont remove all the fat from the steak. Timingyour meals with a smoke alarm isnt a good idea.

baked potatoes serves 4

4 baking potatoes fresh ground pepperbutter or margarineHeat oven to 400. Wrap each potato inaluminum foil and place in oven. Cook for 1 hourand 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.Serve with butter and pepper.


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French-style beans serves 4

10 oz pkg. frozen French-style green beans2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp Dijon mustard cup sliced almonds 1 tbsp lemon juiceIf you have a vegetable steamer, steam the beansfor 5 minutes. If not, cook the beans according tothe package directions. Melt the butter in a smallsaucepan and saut the almonds until they aregolden brown. Add the mustard and lemon juice, blending well. Add the sauce to the beans andserve.

You can make a salad with spinach,escarole, romaine, leaf or iceberg lettuce and just

about any vegetable you desire. Personally, I dontbuy tomatoes in the wintertime since they taste likecardboard.

tossed salad serves 4

8 leaves of romaine lettuce, shredded

cucumber, sliced 3 chopped scallions1 fresh tomato, cut up salad dressing green pepper, sliced croutonsMix all the vegetables in a large bowl. If aparticular vegetable is not available (such as greenpepper or cucumber), it can be omitted. Serve thesalad in individual salad bowls; add dressing to

each, along with some croutons.


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croutons

6 slices of bread 6 cloves of garlic, minced3 tbsp olive oilCut the bread into -inch cubes and let dryovernight. In an iron skillet, combine the oil andgarlic and saut over medium heat for 2 minutes oruntil golden brown. Add bread cubes and stirfrequently with a wooden spoon until they arebrowned.

You can also make croutons by bakingthem.

baked croutons

6 slices of bread, cubed garlic powder

Spread bread cubes on a cookie sheet and sprinklewith plenty of garlic powder. Bake at 250 untilthey are golden brown, checking now and then tobe sure they dont burn.

oil and vinegar dressing

1 pkg. Good Seasons dressing red wine vinegardry red or white wine olive oil

Follow the instructions on the package but insteadof using water, use wine.

Credit for this idea goes to Marguerite, whotaught with me in New Jersey and knew a fewthings about good food.


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menu for day onegrilled steak baked potatoestossed salad French-style beans


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~~~ day two ~~~

I had the pleasure of sharing an apartment inBuffalo with my friend Spike from the fall of 1969to early 1970. Spike advocated cooking spaghettisauce for days on a very low simmer, to blend allthe flavors. We made a batch of sauce with ground beef and pork neck bones once and it came out

splendid. However, even though the sauce wasdone, Spike insisted on turning on the heat, to keepit simmering. I would turn off the heat. This wenton for a while. Somehow, Spike won out and thesauce kept simmering. Unfortunately, the meat inthe sauce disintegrated and the bones turned out assoft as the meat had been. As a result, we had todump it.


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spaghetti with meat sauce serves 8

1 tbsp olive oil 1 carrot, grated2 lbs pork neck bones 1/8 tsp cinnamon6 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp dried thyme1 large onion, minced 1 tbsp dried basil2-six oz cans tomato paste 1 tsp salt1 cup water 1 clove2-28 oz cans tomato puree 2 bay leaves1 tsp dried oregano pinch of sugar1 stalk celery, minced 1 tbsp dried parsley1 cup dry red wine 1 lb Italian sausage tsp fresh ground pepper 1 lb meatballsHeat the oil in a large Dutch oven and add the porkneck bones. Brown on all sides; add minced garlic

and onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and water and cook for 5 minutes. Addremaining ingredients, except for the sausage andmeatballs, and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn heatdown to low and simmer for 5 hours. Remove the pork bones, strip remaining meat from bones andadd back to the sauce. Add sausage and simmer for

30 minutes. Make the meatballs, add to the sauce,and simmer for 1 more hour. Remove sauce fromstove and place in the refrigerator to cool. Reheatthe next day and serve over spaghetti cooked asdirected on the box.


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meatballs

1 lb ground round steak cup bread crumbs1 tsp dried basil 1 egg, beatenfresh ground pepper 1 tbsp olive oilIn a large bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients and formthe mixture into approximately 12 meatballs. Heat

oil in an iron skillet over medium heat and brownthe meatballs on all sides. They are now ready todrop into the sauce.

menu for day twospaghetti with meat sauce fresh Italian bread

tossed salad dry red wine


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~~~ day three ~~~

A potpie or TV dinner is not that exciting but it can be a meal if you add a tossed salad, abaked potato, and a vegetable. Since the oven wason anyway for the pie or dinner, why not bake apotato at the same time? Just start the potato aheadof the main entree or else your potato will be

slightly crunchy.

cooked beets serves 4

6 medium beets waterWash beets and cut off the tops, leaving 1 inch orso. Place beets in a small saucepan with enoughwater to cover them and bring to a boil. Lower theheat and cook until tender, about 45 minutes.Remove beets from the pan and let cool for 5minutes. Remove outer skin from the beets, sliceand serve.

menu for day threechicken pot pie baked potatoestossed salad cooked beets


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~~~ day four ~~~

By now, you probably think that my friendSpike was a terrible cook, but not so. He was adiligent cooking student and he knew what it wasall about. I remember some of the extraordinarybeers and stouts that he brewed. He could also makean excellent chili. He once visited me in New Jersey

and insisted on making a batch of the stuff. Hedidnt have all the ingredients that he needed butdid a great job of improvising. He started it while Iwas at work and it would have been superb exceptfor one thing he fell asleep while it cooked. Theburner was set too high and the chili burned on the bottom of the pot. Unfortunately, the burnt tastetook over the entire flavor of the dish.


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chili con carne serves 8

2 lbs ground beef 4 tbsp chili powder2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp paprika1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp ground turmeric2 large onions, chopped 1 tsp dried oregano1 green pepper, chopped 1 tbsp ground cumin1 stalk celery, chopped tsp ground cloves2-28 oz cans tomatoes 1 tsp ground coriander1-6 oz can tomato paste tsp ground allspice pinch of sugar tsp ground cinnamonfresh ground pepper 1 can kidney beans tsp cayenne pepperBrown beef and garlic in olive oil over moderateheat. Add onions, green pepper and celery and

cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add remainingingredients, except for the kidney beans, and bringto a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes.Rinse and drain the kidney beans, add to the sauce,and simmer 5 minutes more. Serve over boiled riceor cooked thin spaghetti, if desired, or simply inbowls with fresh bread.

Note: Ground turkey may be substituted forthe beef. To make a vegetarian chili, omit the meat.Any spice that is not available may be omitted. Hotsauce can be substituted for the cayenne; however,the last four spices add a distinctive touch.

menu for day fourchili con carne fresh breadtossed salad beer


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~~~ day five ~~~

There are hundreds of recipes for chicken,but baking is one of the easiest and the results arequite good. Chicken is so naturally flavorful thatyou can bake it without salt or any other seasoning.You can buy chicken parts to your liking or cut up awhole one. The secret to cutting up a chicken is to

do the cutting at the joints; dont try cutting thebones, unless they are very thin. Youll get the hangof it after a few tries, but it is well worth the effortsince a whole chicken is less expensive than parts.Round out the meal with salad, vegetables, and ricepilaf.

baked chicken serves 4

1 fryer, cut up or 12 chicken piecesPre-heat the oven to 375. Soak chicken in coldwater for 10 minutes; remove and pat dry withpaper towels. Place the chicken on a rack on topof a cookie sheet or large baking pan. Place inoven and bake for 50 minutes. The chicken

should be golden brown. Remove chicken fromthe oven and serve.


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rice pilaf serves 4

1 small onion, minced tsp dried oregano1 tbsp olive oil tsp turmeric1 cup uncooked rice tsp dried tarragon1 cups chicken broth 1 bay leafIn an iron skillet, saut the onion in the oil overmoderate heat for 2 minutes. Add rice and continuecooking for 3 minutes to coat it, stirring frequently.Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.Reduce heat and simmer until broth is absorbed,about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

steamed vegetables serves 4

5 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 tbsp butter rutabaga, peeled and

cut julienne style1 tsp lemon juice1 tbsp brown mustard

2 stalks broccoli, cut upSteam the carrots and rutabaga in a vegetable

steamer for 10 minutes over low heat. Add thebroccoli and steam for 10 more minutes. In a smallsaucepan, melt butter and blend in the lemon juiceand mustard. Pour the sauce over the cookedvegetables and serve.

menu for day five

baked chicken steamed vegetablestossed salad rice pilafwhite wine


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~~~ day six ~~~

I am not sure how I picked canned beef stewfor a meal, but it tasted all right over boiled noodles.Eventually, I learned how to make egg noodles andsurprisingly enough, its simple. Before long, Idiscovered that making beef stew was also easy. Not only that, it tasted better, was cheaper and

healthier. What you can do is buy a lean bottomround roast and cut it into cubes yourself. If youhave a meat grinder or food processor, you cangrind some of the roast for hamburger and freezefor another occasion.

beef stew serves 4

3 tbsp flour 1 bay leaf3 lbs lean beef cubes fresh ground pepper1 tbsp olive oil 1 cups chicken broth2 cloves garlic, minced cup dry red wine2 large onions, chopped tsp summer savory1 tbsp dried parsleyPut the flour into a paper or plastic bag and add the

beef cubes. Make sure that the beef is covered withthe flour. Doing this results in delicious gravy withno effort on your part. In a large Dutch oven, sautthe beef cubes in the oil over moderate heat for 5minutes or until brown on all sides; add garlic andonions and cook for 3 more minutes, stirringfrequently. Add remaining ingredients and bring to

a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1hours. Remove from heat and serve over rice or eggnoodles.


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egg noodles serves 4

2 eggs, beaten flourpinch of saltBeat the eggs; add the salt and enough flour to makea stiff dough. The amount of flour will varydepending on the size of eggs. Knead the dough,adding more flour as necessary. Roll out dough witha rolling pin on a board or large surface, addingadditional flour to keep it from sticking to the board.Let the dough dry for 1 hour. Cut the dough into1-inch wide strips and stack one on top of theother. Cut the strips into noodles about -inch wide.Bring a large pot of water to boil and add thenoodles. Bring back to a boil. Lower the heat and

simmer the noodles for 15 minutes. Drain and serve.

wilted endive serves 4

1 head endive or escarole 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

4 slices of bacon fresh ground pepper

Wash endive thoroughly and drain on paper towels.Break each piece of endive in half. In an iron skillet,saut bacon until crisp. Set aside bacon and movethe skillet off the warm burner to cool for 2minutes. Add vinegar and pepper and put the skillet back on the warm burner. Bring vinegar to a boiland add endive. Lower heat and cook until endive is

wilted, stirring occasionally. This should take about7 minutes. Remove endive to a serving dish,crumble bacon on top and serve.


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dilled carrots serves 4

6 medium carrots 1 tbsp butterwater fresh dill or dried dill weedPeel carrots and cut into -inch slices. Place in asmall saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.Lower heat and cook for 10 minutes or until carrotsare tender. Remove carrots to a small serving dish;add butter and dill, and serve.

menu for day six beef stew egg noodleswilted endive dilled carrotsdry red wine


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~~~ day seven ~~~

A hot dog for dinner, with a salad andFrench fries, is not that unusual and only somewhatgood for you. I was at my parents house for lunchone Saturday and we had hot dogs on fresh mini-sub rolls. The wieners were above average and therolls and sauerkraut made them more delectable. I

cant recall too many occasions on which Ive had amore enjoyable frankfurter.When I was growing up, my mother would

make us baloney and onions on numerous Saturdayafternoons. I also remember a time during my firstyear away from home when I ordered a baloney andonion sandwich on Italian bread at some small placein South Orange, New Jersey. From those twoencounters, I created my own version of the samedish.

baloney and onions serves 2

2 tbsp olive oil 4 frankfurters2 large onions, chopped fresh ground pepper

1 green pepper, chopped Italian or rye breadHeat the oil in heavy iron skillet over medium heatand add, onions and green pepper. Cook until theonions and pepper are almost transparent, about 5minutes. Cut up the franks into -inch pieces andadd to the pan along with the ground pepper. Cookfor another 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and

serve with fresh rye or Italian bread.


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potato salad serves 6

6 large potatoes 1 tbsp paprikawater fresh ground pepper1 cucumber, peeled and 1 cup mayonnaise

chopped 3 tbsp prepared mustard1 small onion, minced green pepper, choppedWash potatoes thoroughly and cut each in quarters.Place in a medium-size saucepan, cover with waterand bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 15minutes or until potatoes are soft. You can test fordoneness with a toothpick or fork. Drain potatoesand let them cool. When they have cooled down,cut them into -inch cubes and put them into alarge bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and

blend. Add more mayo if the salad is too dry. Serve.

menu for day seven baloney and onions dill picklesrye bread potato saladtossed salad

Customer to waitress: Give me a rubber bandsandwich and make it snappy!

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2. The Triple Cities: a souper time

I didnt stay long in New Jersey only ayear and then I moved to the city of Buffalo toshare an apartment with my friend Spike. He soonleft to get married. Not long after that, I moved toBinghamton, New York, in the fall of 1970. I wasset to study computer science at the university while

teaching high school math part-time. As you canimagine, my salary was less than in Mahwah and Iwas to have less free time.

Binghamton is one of the Triple Cities andalso home of the speedie. A speedie is perfectlylegal and has nothing to do with drugs. Its acombination of marinated pork and lamb in various proportions. Personally, I prefer the pork withoutthe lamb. The meat is placed on metal skewers andthen broiled over a charcoal fire or gas grill, ifyoure so inclined. It is then served on a slice ofItalian bread. Various restaurants in that area sell itand you can purchase the marinated meat at butchershops and grocery stores in most cities. Speedies arecurrently made out of chicken as well. Either type is

delectable and worth trying.By that time I had some practice in cooking

and started collecting a few recipes. The secret toany good recipe, in my opinion, has to do with threebasic premises:

1) Does it taste good to you?2) Is it easy for you to make?

3) Is the cost to make it reasonable?A recipe wont work if there is an ingredient

in it that you dont like. If you dont care for liver,


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no recipe with liver in it will satisfy the first

premise. I dont cook dishes that I wont eat. If youprepare a dish for dinner guests that you refuse toeat and they dont like, who is going to eat it? Youmay ask how to tell if a recipe in a cookbook will begood. Well, look at the ingredients. Then try ityourself. It will give you a very good idea.

The second consideration has to do witheffort. After trying a recipe you will know howmuch work it takes on your part. If quite a bit ofeffort is involved, but the result is extraordinary,you may still want to keep the recipe. Its yourdecision. Dont confuse effort with the length oftime a dish takes from start to finish. For example,sauerbraten takes from four days to a week to getready, but the effort needed is minimal. Baking your

own bread could take an elapsed time of threehours. If you see a recipe that goes on for columnsand columns in a book, chances are it wont beworth the effort.

The last consideration is cost. Someingredients are outrageous in cost. For example,saffron costs more than some illegal drugs.

However, it is a wonderful spice and you wontneed that much of it a little goes a long way.There are other ingredients that are expensive andyou may not be able to get by with just a smallamount. You will have to decide on the cost issue.You may be able to substitute an ingredient andsave money. The results may be even better than the

original recipe.This brings me to another point. You have to

be able to use your judgment, common sense, and


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past experience when cooking. Not too long ago I

tried a recipe for pistachio soup. I like pistachios,the soup could be served hot or cold, and it lookedlike a good recipe. I made it and the consensus wasthat it was all right. I agreed but since I had spent agreat deal of time with preparation (mostly inshelling those little nuts), I decided to forego therecipe in the future.

On another occasion I tried a recipe for soupwith celery and walnuts, among other ingredients.My guests didnt vomit over it, but the generalconsensus was that it was too crunchy. I shouldhave chopped the celery thinner and ground thewalnuts rather than chopping them. Anothersolution may have been to use a blender, eventhough the recipe just said to chop the ingredients.

In any case, the effort was small, so I might try therecipe again.

I had a minor disaster when I tried a recipefor bouillabaisse. The ingredients listed cost afortune to begin with and I made the mistake ofreheating the soup. The mussels in the dishconsequently spoiled and I had to toss it before

someone started tossing up. First of all, use lessexpensive fish. As long as it is fresh it wont matter.Second, never cook mussels in a stew or soup warm only.

Around the same time, I tried to makesalmon bisque. The only error I made was to usecanned salmon. It was a very big mistake. It was

edible, but thats about all. My brother Ken said ittasted chalky but it probably could have been usedto clean the toilet. You get the idea. The lesson I


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learned was that I should have used fresh salmon.

Nevertheless, soups and stews are easy to make andalmost a meal in themselves. Add a salad and somebread and voil!

~~~~~~~~~~


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~~~ day eight ~~~

When you make fish chowder, any kind offish will do, such as cod, haddock, scrod, pollock, pout or a mix. Just be sure that its fresh. Thechowder will taste better the next day as it seasons.It can be frozen as well.

fish chowder serves 8

4 slices of bacon 28 oz can tomatoes1 large onion, minced 2 large potatoes, cubed1 green pepper, minced fresh ground pepper3 tbsp flour 2 tbsp butter1 tsp dried basil 2 lbs fresh haddock tsp fennel seed, crushedIn a large Dutch oven, fry the bacon until it iscrisp. Remove bacon and set aside. Add the onionand green pepper to the pan and cook over mediumheat for three minutes. Add flour and continuecooking for three minutes more, stirringfrequently. Add the basil, fennel, tomatoes, potatoes and ground pepper and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer until the potatoes aretender, about thirty minutes. Crumble the bacon.Add butter, bacon and haddock and cook for fiveminutes more. Turn off the heat and let thechowder stand for ten minutes. Serve.


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Making beans requires one step before theactual cooking. The beans have to soak for a fewhours. This can be done overnight or you can bringthe beans to a quick boil, cook for two minutes andlet them stand for one hour. One way is as good asthe other.

hickory baked beans serves 8

1 pound pinto beans cup molasses2 cups water cup brown sugar6 slices bacon, cut up cup ketchup1 can tomato soup 1 tsp liquid smoke3 tbsp brown mustardSoak the beans overnight or use the quick

method as described above. Place soaked beansinto a large Dutch oven and add water. Bring to aboil, lower the heat and cook for one hour. Addremaining ingredients and bring back to a boil.Lower the heat and simmer for one hour. Serve.

menu for day eightfish chowder hickory baked beanstossed salad Russian brown breaddry white wine


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~~~ day nine ~~~

Some people consider gazpacho a cold soupwhile others consider it a liquid salad. Its actuallyboth. I had my first taste of it in a New York Cityrestaurant. I liked it so much that I decided to try tomake it myself. The best part about this recipe isthat its so easy. Just let the blender do all the work.

gazpacho serves 6

4 large tomatoes 1 tsp ground cumin1 cucumber cup olive oil1 green pepper cup red wine vinegar1 large onion 1 tsp Creole seasoning3 garlic cloves 1 tsp chili powder1 cup tomato juice garnishes as desiredSlit tomatoes with sharp knife and submerge theminto pan of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove,cool slightly, peel them and cut into quarters. Theyshould peel easily. If not, put back into water foranother minute. Peel cucumber (if its fresh, thereis no need to peel) and cut into quarters. Remove

insides of green pepper and quarter. Peel onionand garlic and quarter them. Put half of vegetablesinto blender with half the tomato juice. Puree forthirty seconds and pour into large pitcher. Repeatwith remainder of vegetables. Add remainingingredients and stir. Refrigerate overnight. Ladleinto bowls and add any or all of the following as

garnishes: chopped cucumber, chopped greenpepper, chopped onion and croutons.


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beef and beer stew serves 4

2 lbs lean beef cubes 3 large onions, chopped3 tbsp flour 12 oz of beerfresh ground pepper 1 tsp summer savory2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp dried thyme leaves1 tsp saltDredge the beef in the flour and the pepper. Heatthe oil over moderate heat in a large Dutch ovenand add the beef cubes. Brown on all sides; addthe salt and onions and cook for three minutes.Add the beer, summer savory and thyme. Bring toa boil. Lower heat and simmer for one hour. Serveover steamed rice or egg noodles.

menu for day ninegazpacho beef and beer stewtossed salad egg noodlesbeer


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~~~ day ten ~~~

You can make your own coating for chickenby combining bread crumbs with an assortment ofspices, rather than buying the more popular store brand. This coating can also be used on fish andpork chops.

This reminds me of the time that I lived in

Buffalo and we had a party at our apartment. Spikeno longer lived with me but another teacher hadmoved in to help pay the rent. Since I had to worknights, I was going to be late for the party so I hadto delegate cooking the chicken to Harry, myhousemate. I prepared some chicken coating mixand Harry had to do the rest. The chicken turned outgood but a few days after the party I noticed a funnysmell in the kitchen. The garbage had been removedso it wasnt that, but I could not figure out what itwas. A day or so later the smell was worse. I finallyfigured out what the rotten smell was: before Harrycut up the poultry, he removed the internal organsand instead of throwing them in the garbage, he putthem in the kitchen pantry. Whew!


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tasty baked chicken serves 4

1 chicken, cut up coating mixWash the chicken and shake pieces dry. Placesome of the coating mix in a plastic or paper bagand add the chicken pieces, a few at a time. Shakethe bag to coat thoroughly. Repeat with theremaining pieces. Place chicken pieces on a rackon top of a cookie sheet and bake for fiftyminutes in a 375 oven. Remove from oven andserve.

To make bread crumbs, dry a few pieces of bread overnight. Place the bread slices into ablender, a few at a time and turn on the blender until

you have bread crumbs. It couldnt be easier. Nowyou have a use for stale bread.

chicken coating mix for about 3 chickens

2 tbsp dried minced onion 2 tbsp paprika1 tsp celery seed 1 tbsp chili powder

4 cups bread crumbs tsp dried mustard cup olive oil fresh ground pepperCrush the minced onion and celery seed in amortar and pestle. Put the bread crumbs into alarge bowl and stir in the oil, mixing thoroughly.Add the crushed onion, celery seed, and theremaining ingredients and blend well. The coating

can be stored in the refrigerator.


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Bacon is easier to cut if it is frozen or only

slightly thawed. I store it in the freezer, since itkeeps longer that way. When I need a slice or two, Icut perpendicular to the way the slices run. Thus, Icut an amount of small pieces equivalent to thenumber of slices that I need. This also eliminatesthe need to crumble the bacon later.

bean with bacon soup serves 8

1 cups pea beans 3 large onions, chopped4 slices bacon tsp sugar tsp dried sage 2 quarts of water tsp dried thyme 1 tsp Tabasco sauce1 tbsp olive oil fresh ground pepper2 garlic cloves, minced 3 tbsp vinegar

Soak the beans overnight or use the quick method( see the hickory baked beans recipe). Saut thebacon in a heavy iron skillet until crisp. Removethe bacon, drain on a paper towel; discard thedrippings. Crush the sage and thyme in a mortarand pestle. Add oil to frying pan and saut thegarlic, onions, sugar, sage and thyme until the

onions are brown. Be careful not to burn them, butthe darker they are, the better the flavor will be.The sugar helps to brown them. Place beans into alarge Dutch oven and add the browned onions andwater. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmerfor 1 hours. Turn off the heat, crumble the baconand add it, along with the Tabasco sauce, ground

pepper and vinegar. Stir well. Serve with croutonsmade from dark bread, using the crouton recipe butsubstituting dark bread.


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menu for day ten

bean with bacon soup tasty baked chicken baked potatoes Italian breadtossed salad


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~~~ day eleven ~~~

Ive always wanted an easy recipe forminestrone soup, but it seems all the recipes are socomplicated. Here is a recipe that youll findenjoyable and easy to make. You can use anycombination of beans that you have around, such aspinto, green or yellow split peas, lentils, black, pink,

Great Northern, navy, or baby lima. Just dont usejelly beans.

turkey minestrone soup serves 8

2 tbsp green split peas 1 turkey drumstick2 tbsp yellow split peas 1 cup dry red wine2 tbsp lentils 4 carrots, sliced2 tbsp navy beans tsp dried thyme2 tbsp pinto beans pinch of sugar2 tbsp black beans 28-oz can tomatoes2 tbsp Great Northern beans tsp dried oregano2 tbsp pearl barley 1 tsp dried basil2 cloves garlic, minced fresh ground pepper1 large onion, chopped 1 cup water

2 stalks celery, choppedSoak beans overnight. Drain and place into a souppot along with all the other ingredients. Bring to aboil, lower the heat and simmer until the turkey istender, about 2 hours. Remove turkey and let itcool. Separate the meat from the bone, gristle andtendons. Chop the turkey meat and add back to the

minestrone. Serve with any kind of crusty bread.


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One of the dishes that I recall from

childhood was hamburgers with onions andtomatoes. It sounds like a simple dish, which it is,and its also delicious and quite easy to make.

stewed hamburgers serves 6

3 lbs lean ground beef 1 tbsp olive oil1 egg, beaten 3 large onions, sliced1 cup bread crumbs 1 28-oz can tomatoes1 tsp dried basil pinch of sugarIn a large bowl, mix the ground beef with egg, bread crumbs and basil. Heat oil in a heavy ironskillet over moderate heat. Form hamburgermixture into patties and brown on both sides.Remove to a Dutch oven. Repeat until all the

hamburgers are browned. Add the remainingingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat andsimmer for one hour. Serve the hamburgers onhard rolls dipped in the sauce and covered with theonions.

menu for day eleventurkey minestrone soup stewed hamburgerscorn on the cob tossed saladhard rolls


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~~~ day twelve ~~~

You cant beat an Easter ham from theBroadway Market in Buffalo. The only other onethat comes close is a Virginia baked ham. You maywonder what to do with a ham, other than baking itand making ham sandwiches. Actually, numerousdishes use ham in one way or another. I will include

a few throughout this book. One soup you can makewith ham or a leftover ham bone is yellow split pea.Its easy and delicious.

yellow split pea soup serves 8

2 cups yellow split peas cup chopped rutabaga1 smoked ham hock 2 quarts of water1 carrot, finely chopped fresh ground pepper1 small onion, chopped 2 slices of ham, choppedPlace the split peas into a large pot with the hamhock (or ham bone,) carrot, onion, rutabaga, andwater. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmerfor 2 hours. Remove the ham hock and let it cool. Ifthere is any meat on it, cut it up and add to the soup.

Add the ground pepper and ham and simmer foranother hour. Serve.

The next recipe calls for soy sauce andmayo. You can use any brand you like, but my preference is Kikkoman Lite soy sauce andHellmanns mayonnaise. Kikkoman seems to have a

more distinctive flavor. It costs a little bit more thanthe others, but I think its worth it. As far as


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mayonnaise goes, Hellmanns makes a Light and a

cholesterol-free variety in addition to the regular.

tuna macaroni salad serves 8

1 lb elbow macaroni fresh ground pepper6 oz can tuna in water 2 tbsp soy sauce1 cucumber, chopped cup mayonnaise1 small onion, choppedCook macaroni according to the packagedirections. Drain and cool. Drain the tuna. Placethe macaroni into a large bowl; add tuna and theremaining ingredients. Mix and, if necessary, addmore mayo. Refrigerate. Serve with basiltomatoes.

basil tomatoes serves 4

4 large tomatoes, sliced 2 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp dried basilPlace the tomatoes in a glass dish. Sprinkle with basil and olive oil. Toss gently and marinate fortwo hours in a cool place. Do not put in the

refrigerator, as the tomatoes will lose their flavor.Serve.

When I first began to cook, I used powderedginger. Now I always use gingerroot, which I gratemyself. If you use the root instead of the powder,you will need a hand grater. The one I use Ive had

for years and it has served me well. I also suggestkeeping gingerroot in the freezer. It lasts longer andmore important, its easier to grate when frozen.


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Chinese cauliflower serves 6

1 head cauliflower cup orange juice1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp soy sauce1 green pepper, thinly sliced cup water1 tbsp grated gingerroot 1 tbsp cornstarchTrim the cauliflower and place into a mediumsaucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.Lower the heat and simmer for ten minutes.Remove from the stove and drain. In a smallsaucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Addgreen pepper and ginger and saut for 3 minutes.Add orange juice and soy sauce and cook for 1more minute. In a small bowl, mix the water andcornstarch, dissolving the cornstarch. Add to the

green pepper mixture, stirring. Raise the heat andcook until sauce thickens. Place the cauliflower on aserving plate, pour the sauce over it and serve.

menu for day twelveyellow split pea soup tuna macaroni salad basil tomatoes Chinese cauliflower

French bread


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~~~ day thirteen ~~~

In Binghamton, I lived on the second floor,above my landlord. You may have seen those littlebottles of root beer extract on shelves in the grocerystore. I doubt that you could find them today, but atthe time, I bought one and in the spring of 1971, Istarted to make my own root beer in a gallon jug.

All you have to add is water, sugar and yeast to theextract and let it brew for a few weeks. This I didaccording to the package directions, but I noticedthat not much seemed to be happening. I addedsome more yeast.

A day or two later, I went out to playsoftball. When I returned, the back door to my placewas wide open and the floor was much cleaner thanwhen I had departed. My root beer had explodedand the liquid somehow dripped downstairs into thelandlords apartment. He probably heard theexplosion too. I had to do some explaining as wellas cleaning up. I noticed some tiny fragments ofglass, not much larger than grains of sand. It musthave been some explosion. My landlord probably

thought the house was being attacked.The lesson from that episode is simple:

follow directions. You can improvise for certainsituations but not for others. The root beerdirections also said to keep the jug on its side andcapped with a cork, if possible. Had I done that, thecork would have shot out and there would have

been some liquid on the floor, but certainly noexplosion.


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chicken shadow soup serves 8

3 quarts of water 2 stalks of celery, sliced1 bay leaf 2 large onions, chopped tsp dried sage 1 package chicken soup tsp dried thyme mix4 carrots, sliced fresh ground pepperPut the water, bay leaf, sage, thyme, carrots,celery, and onions into a large soup pot and bringto a boil. Lower the heat and simmer untilvegetables are soft, about fifteen minutes. Add thesoup mix and simmer for ten minutes more.Season with ground pepper and serve with eggnoodles.

Dried beans are reasonably cheap andloaded with protein and numerous vitamins. Theyare also said to be a fine way to lower yourcholesterol. You can make the next recipe withgreat northern, pinto, pink or black beans. Smokedsausage adds a zestful flavor.


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Cajun beans and rice serves 4

1 cups pinto beans 2 tbsp paprika2 cups water 8 oz tomato sauce1 bay leaf 2 cloves garlic, minced1 green pepper, chopped tsp Tabasco sauce1 large onion, chopped 1 tbsp chili powder tsp cayenne pepper lb smoked1 celery stalk, minced sausage, slicedSoak the beans overnight. Drain. Place in a largeDutch oven, add the water and bay leaf and bring toa boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Addremaining ingredients, except for the sausage, andsimmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.You may need to add more water as the beans cook.

Add the sausage and simmer for fifteen minutesmore. Serve over boiled rice.

Boiled rice can be made quickly and isloaded with carbohydrates. Just remember to usetwice the amount of water as of rice.

boiled rice serves 6

2 cups long grain rice 4 cups waterPlace the rice and water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer fortwenty minutes or until all the water is absorbed.You can stir occasionally. Serve.


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menu for day thirteen

chicken shadow soup egg noodlesCajun beans tossed saladsteamed rice


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~~~ day fourteen ~~~

During my third year in the Triple Cities ofEndicott, Binghamton and Johnson City, I shared anapartment with two college students. I cooked someof the time but John and Tom did some of their owncooking. I mentioned that I was never a bigmacaroni and cheese dinner aficionado. One day,

John made himself some, but it turned out watery.Apparently, he hadnt drained the macaroni beforeadding the cheese sauce. He didnt follow directionson the box.

On another occasion, I made beef stew foreveryone and John cooked some lima beans notone of my favorites but healthy nonetheless. A dayor two later, John warmed up the stew together withthe lima beans. I didnt have any.

At that time, a store on the outskirts of townsold horsemeat. Thom and Linda, good friends ofmine who lived in nearby Pennsylvania, would fix itfor me but not tell me that sometimes the meatcould be found at the racetrack. I enjoyed whateverthey fixed and couldnt tell the difference between

cow and horsemeat, even though I felt it could havebeen the latter.

One day, I made some hamburgers fromhorsemeat. I believe the recipe was the one forstewed hamburgers in this chapter. John liked it andfinished it up, since I couldnt eat it. Somehow, all Icould think of was Mr. Ed.

A quick meal for any occasion is fish. Youcan cook certain types of fish on the grill outside,such as salmon, swordfish, halibut, tuna, monkfish


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and mahi-mahi. Baking and poaching is easy, too,

and quick. Any kind of fish will do, as long as it isfresh. Today, even fish in the supermarket is quitefresh. You can use haddock, cod, pollock or scrodfor the following recipe.

baked fish serves 4

nonstick vegetable spray tsp garlic powder2 lbs haddock tsp dill weed1 tbsp lemon juice cup rye bread crumbsSpray a baking pan with the nonstick spray. Placethe fish into the pan and sprinkle with lemon juice,garlic powder and dill weed. Cover with breadcrumbs and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Serve withrice pilaf and a dry white wine.

During my teens, my mother used to fix asoup made from cabbage and potatoes. It seemedlike a simple soup but was very flavorful. Myversion of the soup is a little different, but still tasty.


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potato sprout soup serves 4

1 lb brussels sprouts lb smoked Polish2 cups chicken broth sausage3 large potatoes fresh ground pepperClean the brussels sprouts and trim. Place sprouts ina medium saucepan and cover with broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.Remove brussels sprouts from the broth. In ablender, coarsely chop sprouts. Cut potatoes into -inch cubes and put into saucepan with the broth.Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook for ten minutes.Add brussels sprouts and sausage and simmer forten more minutes or until the potatoes are tender.Season with ground pepper and serve.

chicken broth makes 2 quarts

2 cups of water 2 tbsp parsley tsp salt 1 celery stalk1 bay leafchicken necks, wing tips and backs

Put all ingredients into a soup pot and bring to aboil. Lower heat and simmer for two hours. Removechicken wing tips and celery stalk and discard.Remove chicken backs and necks, separate anymeat from the bone, and save for another use.


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menu for day fourteen

potato sprout soup baked fishrice pilaf tossed saladdry white wine

The following conversation took place at arestaurant following dinner between my sister Patand her daughter Elizabeth, who was then three

years young:

Pat: That was very good. Elizabeth, are you full?Elizabeth:No, Im empty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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3. Westchester: where the bread is

I left the Triple Cities to head across theHudson River. My new home was to be WappingersFalls, noted for nothing much until an event a fewyears ago, which I wont get into. It had nothing todo with cooking. Within a short time, I found

myself moving into my first house in the grand oldcounty of Westchester.Appropriately enough, it was here that I

really started to make bread. I dont think that youllhave to think about that one too much. Butseriously, this was where I developed my ability forthe art of making bread. I dont precisely recall in

which town I tried my first recipe for bread. I doremember that it was Cuban bread from The James Beard Cookbookand it was a big flop. The resultwould have made an excellent paperweight or boatanchor, so I threw it out.

The good thing about this disaster was that Ididnt completely give up. It may have taken sometime, but nonetheless at some point I tried to bake bread once again. The result was much better andeventually each new attempt proved to be animprovement over the last one. Not only did I likethe bread, but my guests commented on how good itwas. I knew I had done something right. I really believe that anyone can make bread. It is not thatdifficult. It takes a few hours from start to finish,

but your effort is minimal, from fifteen to twentyminutes in all. The secret for baking bread includesthree key points:


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1. patience

2. the yeast mixture3. the kneading process.As far as patience goes, most yeast dough

breads need to rise twice for approximately onehour each. The actual baking will take close toanother hour, so the whole process will take aboutthree hours. I made some onion bread recently. Imixed the dough together, put it into a warm oven,and went out for an hour walk. When I returned, thedough was ready for its second rise. You dont haveto take a walk between risings, but you can dosomething else, such as leaving the house. Thatway, the three-hour time frame will not even matter.The aroma wafting through your home while thebread is baking will also inspire you to do it again.

This brings up the idea of patience on another plane.If your first attempt does not turn out exactly as youwould like, dont give up. Try again and again.Your perseverance will pay off.

The second important point is the yeastmixture. This applies to yeast breads as well as toquick breads, as you will see in the next paragraph.

I will concentrate on yeast breads for now. Any bread that you try will be a failure without yeast.Burning the yeast has the same effect as no yeastand your effort will be worthless. It is critical NEVER TO BURN THE YEAST. You can avoidburning by using almost lukewarm water or liquidto proof the yeast. Proofing means dissolving in

water or milk with a pinch of sugar. Also,remember to cool down any mixture into which you


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add the yeast mixture. An ice cube or two should do

the trick.For quick breads, the process is similar buteasier. You need to have an active catalyst, bakingpowder in most cases. If the baking powder is old,the bread may not rise. See to it that the ingredienthas not expired. If no rising takes place, the resultwill be a rock rather than bread. Thats why my firstbread attempt failed.

As far as the type of yeast to use, I used thesolid cake yeast in my first few bread attempts. Ihave not used it since, but rather I use the packageyeast, which is easier to find on supermarketshelves. One is as good as the other. Generallyspeaking, wheat and rye breads will require 2packages of yeast. You can probably get away with

one for bread that uses only white flour.The last point has to do with kneading the

bread.Kneadingmeans taking the bread dough intoyour hands and working it so that the ingredientsare blended together. Most recipes call for five toten minutes of kneading. I usually knead bread forone or two minutes. The reason I use less time is

because, by the time I put the dough on the board toknead, the ingredients are well blended. Thats because I use a huge mixing bowl. It is made ofearthenware, seven inches high and thirteen incheswide at the top. Ive had it for over thirty years andit cuts down on kneading time. I use a long woodenspoon for mixing to assist in the process. If you can

find a bowl like this one, Id recommend it for usenot only in bread baking but also whenever you are


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mixing something in a large quantity. It can even

double as a punch bowl.Here are some other points about bakingbread. I usually warm the oven to about 90 to letthe dough rise. It is not essential, but using the ovenmeans drafts are eliminated and Ive been doing itthis way for years with great success. Sugar isnecessary to interact with the yeast. It is notnecessary to proof the yeast with the sugar, but ifyou get into the habit of doing it this way, youllnever forget the sugar in a recipe. The amount offlour to use brings up a good point: I never measurethe flour in any bread recipe. If a recipe calls forwheat, rye and white flour, I add some rye flour,some wheat flour and then the amount of whiteflour depends on when the dough is the way I like

it. Its a matter of judgment. Youll get the idea.When pouring the dough onto the surface forkneading, if you try to scrape the dough from thewooden spoon it will stick to your fingers. Insteaduse a jerky shoving motion to get the dough off thespoon. As far as determining when bread is finishedbaking, tap the loaves with your fingers. A hollow

sound indicates the bread is done. Above all, have patience in your bread baking endeavors. Goodluck!

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~~~ day fifteen ~~~

Bread is always best right out of the oven.Even a day or two later it is still better than anybread you can buy. The darker breads tend to keeptheir flavor longer than the white breads. If you everhave coffee left over from a meal, put it into a plastic container in the freezer. You can use it in

this recipe for brown bread.

Russian brown bread makes 2 loaves

2 packages dry yeast 2 tbsp caraway seed1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp anise seed cup lukewarm water 1 tbsp fennel seed2 cups leftover coffee 1 cups rye flour cup molasses 1 cups wheat flour3 tbsp vinegar 1 cup wheat bran cup cocoa 6 cups white flour2 tbsp olive oil corn mealIn a small bowl, proof the yeast with the sugar inthe water. In a small saucepan over moderate heat,add the leftover coffee (or water), molasses,

vinegar, cocoa and olive oil. Stir occasionally andremove when cocoa and molasses are dissolved.Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl and cool tolukewarm. Crush the caraway, anise and fennelseeds in a mortar and pestle and add to the cocoa /molasses mixture. When mixture is cooled down(use an ice cube if necessary), add the yeast

mixture. Add in the rye flour, wheat flour and bran;mix, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Add


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white flour gradually and continue mixing until

dough is stiff. Turn the dough onto a floured boardand knead for about 2 minutes or until dough issmooth and elastic. Wash out mixing bowl, dry outthoroughly and grease with olive oil. Put dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp towel and put into a warm oven to rise until double in bulk,about 1 hour. Divide the dough in half and formeach into a ball. Place each on a cookie sheetsprinkled with corn meal, flatten slightly, coverwith the damp towel and put back into the oven. Letit rise for about 40 minutes or until nearly double.Remove the towel and bake in a 375 oven for 55minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Serve.

If you like Creole and Cajun foods, youll

find this next recipe to your liking. It has a rich blend of flavors. Jambalaya can be made withseafood as well, but I find this recipe with ham,chicken and pork sausage to be delightful. I thinkyou will too.


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jambalaya serves 6

2 cloves garlic, minced 1 28-oz can tomatoes2 tbsp olive oil pinch of sugar1 green pepper, chopped 1 tsp dried thyme1 large onion, chopped 1 tsp chili powder lb Virginia ham 2 cups long grain rice2 cups cooked chicken fresh ground pepper lb pork sausages 4 cups waterSaut the garlic in olive oil in a large Dutch ovenover moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add green pepperand onion and cook for 2 minutes more. Cut hamand chicken into -inch cubes and the porksausages into -inch slices. Add all remainingingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and

simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 30minutes. If rice is not thoroughly cooked, add morewater and continue simmering. Remove and serve.

A variation on this recipe one of myfavorites is jambalaya pasta. Just leave out therice. Cook the pasta separately and while the base is

simmering. Drain the pasta and add to the jambalaya. A better idea is to make the jambalayawithout the pasta on the day before, and just cookthe pasta on the day of the party.


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horseradish broccoli serves 4

4 stalks of broccoli 1 tsp lemon juice2 cups of water 2 tbsp prepared mustard1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp horseradish2 tbsp mustard seedsTrim and cut the broccoli into serving size pieces.Place it into a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 4minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan overmoderate heat, warm olive oil, add mustard seedsand cook until mustard seeds stop popping, about 2minutes. Add the lemon juice, prepared mustard andhorseradish and stir. Drain broccoli, pour sauce overit and serve.

menu for day fifteenRussian brown bread jambalayatossed salad horseradish broccoli


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~~~ day sixteen ~~~

After my Cuban bread disaster, I eventuallytried the recipe again and got it right. Id go furtherthan that. The recipe is fantastic because it tastesgreat but also requires little time. The result is acrusty bread that tastes so good that there probablywont be any left over. The only ingredients are

water, flour, sugar and yeast. This bread only has torise once so its quicker than most bread recipes.Give it a try and you wont be disappointed.

Cuban bread makes 2 loaves

1 package dry yeast 7 cups flour2 cups lukewarm water olive oil or cornmeal1 tbsp sugarProof the yeast in the water with the sugar in a largemixing bowl. Add flour gradually, stirringvigorously with a wooden spoon. Add enough flourto make a stiff dough. Knead the dough for 1 or 2minutes. Wash, dry and grease mixing bowl witholive oil and add the dough. Cover with a damp

towel and place in a warm oven to rise until doublein bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, cutthe dough in half and form 2 long loaves. Place on agreased cookie sheet or one covered with corn meal,slash with a sharp knife in a few places and let risefor 5 minutes. Turn on the oven to 400; place a panof boiling water in the oven under the loaves. Bake

the loaves for about 40 minutes or until they arebrown and crusty. Serve hot out of the oven.


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chicken cacciatore serves 4

handful of fresh oregano fresh ground pepper2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp chopped parsley1 tsp dried basil 1 large onion, chopped2 tbsp olive oil 1 green pepper, chopped1 frying chicken, cut up 1 tsp sugar4 tbsp flour cup dry red wine1 28-oz can tomatoes 1 cup sliced green olivesMince the oregano. Use 1 tsp of dried oregano if freshis not available. Saut garlic, oregano and basil in oilin a large Dutch oven over moderate heat for 2minutes. Dredge chicken parts in flour and browneach piece in the Dutch oven. Add all remainingingredients, except for the olives and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add olivesand simmer for 15 more minutes or until chicken isdone. Serve over thin spaghetti or boiled rice.

menu for day sixteenchicken cacciatore spaghettitossed salad Cuban bread

dry red wine


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~~~ day seventeen ~~~

Quick breads are easy to make and take lesstime than yeast dough because you only have to letit rise once. Irish soda bread can be made withbuttermilk or you can sour ordinary milk by addingvinegar with the same results. The following recipeis especially tasty and needs no butter, as its in the

dough.

Irish soda bread makes 1 loaf

2 cups milk 2 tbsp caraway seed2 tbsp vinegar 1 tsp baking soda cup raisins 2 tsp baking powder4 cups flour 1 tbsp butter, melted cup sugar 1 tbsp sugar2 tbsp butter, cut into bits and softenedIn a large mixing bowl, combine milk and vinegar.Submerge raisins in hot water. In another bowl,combine flour, cup sugar and 2 tbsp butter andwork with your fingers. Squeeze water from raisins;add to the dry mix with the caraway, baking soda

and baking powder. Mix thoroughly, add the milkmixture, and stir until all ingredients are blended.Grease a heavy iron skillet with butter and pour thebatter into the skillet and even it out with a spatula.Heat oven to 350. Pour melted butter over thedough followed by the sugar. Bake for 45 minutesor until bread is done. An inserted toothpick should

come out clean when done. Remove from oven, turnbread onto a rack and cool completely. Serve.


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green split pea soup serves 8

2 cups green split peas 1 smoked ham hock2 quarts of water 1 large onion, chopped2 tbsp parsley fresh ground pepper1 stalk celery, chopped lb Polish sausage1 bay leafPut all the ingredients, except for the Polishsausage, into a large Dutch oven, and bring to aboil. Lower heat and simmer for 2 hours. Removebay leaf and ham hock and put any meat on the hamhock back into the Dutch oven. Cut the Polishsausage into inch slices and add to the soup.Simmer for 10 minutes more. Serve.

escarole orange salad serves 6

1 head of escarole tbsp sugar cup chopped pecans 1 tbsp Dijon mustard2 oranges cup olive oil cup lemon juice fresh ground pepperThoroughly wash escarole and drain. Separate

leaves and break each into bite-size pieces. Putescarole into a large salad bowl and add pecans.Peel oranges and cut lengthwise into quarters andthen cut each into inch slices. Add to theescarole. Mix the lemon juice, sugar and mustarduntil they are thoroughly blended. Add oil in astream and blend in completely. Add to salad with

the ground pepper and toss. Serve.


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Rutabagas are almost peasant food insofar as

they are plain and cheap. They have a taste thatstands by itself and are also easy to prepare.

mashed rutabagas serves 4

1 rutabaga fresh ground pepperwater 1 tbsp butterPeel, slice and cut the rutabaga into French frypieces. If you have a French fry cutter, use it. Putrutabaga into a medium saucepan and cover withwater. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer untiltender, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot and drain.Mash rutabaga, add pepper and butter and serve.

menu for day seventeenIrish soda bread green split pea soupescarole orange salad mashed rutabagas


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~~~ day eighteen ~~~

There is nothing like a good rye bread. Animportant ingredient in any rye bread is carawayseed. If you dont like caraway seed, do not despair.You can make rye bread without the caraway. Dilladds flavor as well.

dill rye bread makes 2 loaves

2 packages dry yeast 2 tbsp caraway seed2 cups lukewarm water 1 tbsp dill seed1 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt1 cups milk 2 cups rye flourolive oil 4 cups white flourProof yeast in the water with the sugar. Pour themixture into a large mixing bowl and add milk, 1tablespoon of olive oil, the caraway, dill and salt.Add rye flour and stir vigorously. Add white flourgradually, stirring to blend in ingredients. Addenough white flour to make a stiff dough. Rolldough onto a floured board and knead for about 2minutes. Wash and dry the mixing bowl and grease

with olive oil. Put dough into the bowl and coverwith a damp towel. Put bowl into a warm oven andlet dough rise for about 1 hour or until double inbulk. Remove dough, divide in half and form into 2loaves. Put loaves into 2 greased bread loaf pans,cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled,about 40 minutes. Remove the towel and bake at

375 until loaves are golden brown, about 45minutes. Remove from the pans, cool and serve.


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While the bread is baking, you can prepare

the main course: poached fish. Dont start it tooearly since the fish will only take about fifteenminutes to cook.

poached cod serves 4

3 tbsp flour cup dry red wine2 lbs of cod 1 tsp dried dill weed1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp dried minced onion4 oz tomato saucePut flour into a plastic bag and add fish, a piece at atime. Shake the bag to coat each piece with flour.Heat oil in a large iron skillet over moderate heat.Add the pieces of cod, skin side up and cook for 1minute. Turn pieces over and cook the second side

for 1 minute. Mix tomato sauce, wine, dill and driedonion and add to skillet. Bring liquid to a boil andlower heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until cod isdone. It will flake when done. Serve with winesauce over boiled rice.

menu for day eighteendill rye bread boiled rice poached cod tossed salad


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~~~ day nineteen ~~~

Most seafood can be prepared in an instant.In fact, it will take you no longer to cook fresh fishthan to warm a prepared entree from the sea. Theonly exception to this would be if you use amicrowave oven. Even then, the time difference isminimal. Shrimp is especially delectable and quick

to cook. Dont overcook it, as it will turn outrubbery. Here is my recipe for scampi. It is loadedwith garlic.

shrimp scampi serves 4

2 lbs of medium shrimp 3 tbsp olive oil6 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp butterPeel shrimp and wash thoroughly. Saut garlic inolive oil and butter in a heavy iron skillet overmedium heat for 5 minutes. The garlic shouldchange color but do not burn it. Add shrimp andcook until it turns pink, about 2 minutes. Removeand serve over rice pilaf.

One of the best vegetables for you is theonion. As you can tell, I use it in all types ofrecipes. You can use onions to make tasty bread.The fragrance of the vegetable from this recipe willoverwhelm your home.


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onion rye bread makes 2 loaves

2 large onions, sliced thin and choppedolive oil 3 tbsp caraway seed1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp dried dill weed2 packages dry yeast 2 cups rye flour2 cups lukewarm water 3 cups white flourIn a heavy iron skillet, saut the onions in 2tablespoons of olive oil for 10 minutes, overmoderate heat. Raise the heat, add 1 teaspoon ofsugar and continue cooking onions until they aregolden brown. Cool. Meanwhile proof yeast inwater with the remaining sugar. Pour mixture into alarge mixing bowl and add caraway seed, dill weedand cooked onions. Make sure the onions have

cooled down. Add rye flour and stir. Add whiteflour gradually, stirring vigorously to blend iningredients. Add enough flour to make a stiffdough. Roll dough onto a floured board and kneadfor about 2 minutes. Wash and dry the mixing bowland grease with olive oil. Put dough into bowl andcover with a damp towel. Put bowl into a warm

oven and let dough rise until double in bulk, about 1hour. Remove dough, divide in half and form into 2loaves. Put loaves into 2 greased bread pans, coverwith damp towel and let rise for about 45 minutes oruntil doubled. Remove towel and bake at 375 untilloaves are golden brown, about 45 minutes.Remove from the pans, cool and serve.


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menu for day nineteen

shrimp scampi onion rye breadrice pilaf tossed saladdry white wine


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~~~ day twenty ~~~

One meal that stands out in my mind fromnumerous occasions is a roast of pork. A boneless pork roast is quite expensive, but a cheaper roastsuch as a loin is also good. I dont cook pork thatoften, but when I do, it becomes a feast. Pork must be cooked thoroughly, and it takes about thirty

minutes per pound to cook at 375. Use a meatthermometer to determine when the roast is done.Insert the thermometer into the fleshiest part ofroast and make sure it doesnt touch the bone. The pork will be done when the thermometer registers175.

The good thing about cooking a pork roast isthat you can use the oven to cook vegetables such ascarrots and potatoes simultaneously. One of the firstpork roasts I cooked was when friends visited me inBinghamton. The meal included carrots andpotatoes cooked with the roast, as well as salad andwine. I even captured the complete spread on film.It was quite a meal, even while a record snowstormwas burying the city outside.


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roast loin of pork serves 6

2 tbsp dried rosemary 6 large carrots, peeled1 tsp dried thyme 4 large potatoes, washed4 lbs loin of pork and quartered1 tsp garlic powder 4 medium onions, peeledfresh ground pepperPreheat oven to 375. Crush rosemary and thyme ina mortar and pestle and rub the roast with it, alongwith garlic powder and ground pepper. Insert a meatthermometer into roast without touching the boneand place in the oven. Cook until thermometerregisters 175, about 2 hours. While the roast iscooking, cut carrots in half and then cut them in halflengthwise. Add potatoes, carrots and onions to the

roast during the last hour of cooking. Remove roastand vegetables from the oven and let stand a fewminutes before carving

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